The 2024 NBA trade deadline has passed, and the Oklahoma City Thunder made a pair of moves.
The Thunder bolstered their wing depth with the addition of veteran Gordon Hayward from the Charlotte Hornets. In exchange, OKC sent Tre Mann, Davis Bertans, Vasilije Micic and two second-round picks.
The other deal the Thunder made was more about improving the quality of their draft assets without sacrificing the quantity. They traded the second-worst of their four 2024 first-round picks to the Dallas Mavericks for a 2028 first-round pick swap.
This trade deadline perfectly exemplifies how the Thunder front office runs the franchise. It made improvements on the margins with an eye on the future without sacrificing too much.
Let’s hand out trade grades for the moves Thunder general manager Sam Presti made as OKC gets ready for the stretch run of the regular season and playoffs.
Gordon Hayward: A-minus
Trade details:
- Thunder receive: Gordon Hayward
- Hornets receive: Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, Davis Bertans, 2024 second-round pick via Rockets, 2025 second-round pick via Sixers, cash considerations.
This was an easy win for the Thunder. They acquired a veteran wing who can shoot and didn’t give up anything extremely valuable.
Mann and Bertans have been outside of the rotation the entire season. While Micic has played better recently, Hayward is a massive upgrade as a bench piece. The Thunder will overcome Micic’s departure with Williams’ ascension as a playmaker for the second unit.
In 25 games with the Hornets, Hayward has averaged 14.5 points on 48.6% shooting, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He has shot 36.1% from 3 on 2.4 attempts. Nearly all of his 3-pointers resulted in assists (95.5%), so he’ll be a nice catch-and-shoot option for OKC.
The 33-year-old is on an expiring $31.5 million salary, so there’s no long-term commitment. He could simply be a rental.
Durability has always been a problem with Hayward and that’s been the case this season. He hasn’t played since Dec. 26 due to a calf injury, but he is inching closer to a return. The good news is his role should be reduced with OKC, likely playing fewer minutes off the bench, which should help him stay healthy.
Hayward also brings valuable intangibles, led by his playoff experience. He’s been part of several deep playoff runs throughout his career, which can’t be said for the rest of OKC’s roster.
This is a calculated risk by the Thunder that Hayward can stay healthy and produce. If it doesn’t work out, then they didn’t give up anything too valuable. Bertans and Micic are filler and the two second-round picks are easily replaceable.
The only way this deal comes back to bite them is if Mann turns into a productive scoring guard, which wasn’t going to happen in OKC anyway.
2028 first-round swaps with Mavericks: A-plus
Trade details:
- Thunder receive: 2028 first-round pick swap
- Mavericks receive: Second-least favorable 2024 first-round pick
This was a classic Thunder move. Knowing they will not have enough roster space to welcome several rookies this offseason, OKC kicked the can down the road and possibly added a more valuable pick.
This is part of a three-team deal where the Mavericks landed Daniel Gafford while the 2024 first-round pick gets rerouted to the Washington Wizards along with Richaun Holmes.
The second-least favorable of the four 2024 first-round picks the Thunder own will likely be their own or the LA Clippers’ in the 20s. That is a meh area in a weak draft class.
Meanwhile, the 2028 first-round swap has some real juice to it. The pick being so far in the future is what makes it intriguing. Who knows what the Mavericks look like by then, but Luka Doncic can enter free agency in 2026 by declining his $49 million player option.
He’ll likely do so anyway, either because he signed a new deal with Dallas or he left. Either way, this swap has massive upside with no real downside. In a worst-case scenario, the pick will be in the 20s.
This is smart asset management by the Thunder, who remain sharp with their foresight and realize the potential value of a draft pick four years away from a team scrambling to win right now.
